N.C. Central University has received a $1 million planned gift from 1977 graduate George Hamilton and his wife, Jill.
 

The George R. Hamilton Endowment Fund will offer support in equal measure to the operations and scholarships of the NCCU School of Business and Department of Athletics.

 

"This is an important gift as I believe it signals increasing confidence and enthusiasm about the future of N.C. Central University. I am immensely grateful for George Hamilton's generosity and commitment to our goal of providing greater opportunity and support for student success," said NCCU Chancellor Charlie Nelms.

 

George said he felt compelled to give back to the institution that nurtured him and provided him the tools and life lessons needed to make it to the top. "My experience at NCCU was a key enabler of my success," he said.

 

George is President and general manager of Dow Automotive, a Dow Chemical subsidiary in Michigan. He is responsible for the company’s profit and loss, global business strategies and organizational health. He also leads the Dow Automotive Executive Management and Automotive Leadership Teams.

George joined The Dow Chemical Company in 1977 as a seller of plastics to the automotive industry and has held a variety of positions in sales, marketing, application development and business operations during his 29 years with the company. Prior to joining Dow Automotive in 2000 as Vice President of Automotive Materials, Hamilton served as North American Commercial Director for Engineering Plastics.

George is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) and is an Honorary Committee Member of International Federation of Automotive Engineering Societies (FISITA). He also serves on the Boards of Original Equipment Suppliers Association, Habitat for Humanity and College for Creative Studies in Detroit; Montreat College in Montreat, N.C. and the Visitor’s Board for North Carolina Central University School of Business. He also serves on Dow’s Retirement Board and the Diversity and Inclusion Steering Team.

George has been recognized for his contributions by the YMCA Minority Achiever Awards, Crain’s Detroit Minority All-Star Award and Crain’s Annual Who’s Who In Detroit in 2005. He was also named to Black Enterprise Magazine’s 75 Most Powerful African Americans in Corporate America list in 2005.

George and his wife Jill reside in Rochester, Michigan and have three children. He enjoys mentoring young people, motivational speaking, cars, golf, professional basketball, college football and skiing. He holds a B.S. in business administration from North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C. and is a Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.